Sound a bit incongruous? Not when Creative Director, Suhana Gordhan, explained the rationale.

“After being briefed by Wimpy, the creative team - Art Directors Fezi Mpembe and Mpumi Ngwenya, and Copywriter Khanyi Mpumlwana – explored insights around summer. Almost immediately, we zeroed in on the fact that not everybody gets to experience the carefree summer feeling that comes with the onset of the holidays. Some people still have to work during this time.

“So our idea focused on a man who is stuck in work-mode blues but as soon as he walks into a Wimpy and sees the awesome summer vibe, he transforms himself so that he too, can experience the joy of summer. In essence, he learns to ‘Summer Like a Champ’,” she said.

‘Summer Like a Champ’ also gave rise to Wimpy’s great competition: This summer, patrons have been encouraged to put on the yellow sunglasses that arrive with each Champ Burger Combo, snap a selfie and upload it with #SummerLikeAChamp to stand the chance to win an awesome summer holiday.

Directed by Gilli Apter and Ian Difford, with post-production by Produce, the ad was shot in one day at the Forest Hill Wimpy in Centurion.

As with all the television commercials coming from FCB Joburg since it started working on the Wimpy business at the end of 2012, the simple yet highly appealing storyline is given additional appeal by smart casting, brilliant character direction and a solid performance. In this story, it’s a stressed out ‘Mpho’ who receives his delicious Champ Burger and proclaims with glee, “Even me, I can summer!”